Although anti-game activist Jack Thompson's latest campaign to pass video game legislation in Utah got off to a fast start, it is ending both unsuccessfully and with rancor.

In the latest development, GamePolitics has learned that Rep. Mike Morley (R), the Utah House sponsor of the Thompson-authored HB 353, circulated an e-mail to his legislative colleagues last week in which he apologized for Thompson's behavior.

Morley's apology came in response to the flap caused by an Easter Sunday e-mail sent by Thompson to numerous Utah legislators. The e-mail, which ultimately prompted State Sen. President Michael Waddoups (R) to threaten Thompson with prosecution, depicted GTA IV 's Nico Bellic receiving a lap dance from a pair of strippers. Thompson also included links to videos of graphic GTA IV content.

Here is Morley's e-mail:

Subject: My apologies for Jack ThompsonDear Fellow House Members:

Over the past few days, I have received three emails from Jack Thompson regarding his concerns about mature video games being sold to minors. Certainly, I am concerned about the graphic violence and sexuality of some of the mature video games, I am apalled by his use of what I view as pornographic images. I want to make it clear that I had no previous knowledge of his intention to send the images and I apologize to each of you who received his email and were offended as I was.

Mr. Thompson is a nation [sic] advocate for this cause, but he doesn't speak for me nor do I condone or appreciate his actions nor some his tactics.

Mike Morley

When asked for comment by GamePolitics, Thompson said that he hadn't seen Morley's e-mail and "couldn't care less." Within minutes, however, he fired off an e-mail of his own to Utah largely conservative legislators:

I understand that Mike Morley apologized to you all for the shocking image I sent you of two women in bikinis in a strip club. Sorry, Utahns, but you can see that on a beach. To see more explicit material as to what is in the GTA IV game, you had to click on the two links I provided, and that was your choice. I warned you what you would see if you chose to do so.

Mike Morley's apology is ridiculous. I didn't scandalous [sic] anyone with an image of two clad women. What is really going on here is that I upset the Republican club that runs Utah, and those in that club are seizing upon this harmless image as a ruse to scold the outsider who unfortunately showed that some in Utah aren't serious about protecting children. Your Governor isn't serious, and we sure as heck know your AG is not. Heck, he takes money from the video game industry to say how well the ratings are working... Incredible.

The only apology that is owed is by each of you for not insisting upon an override session [of Gov. Huntsman's HB 353 veto]... Your family values stance is a sham.

A small part of me actually sympathises with Jack here, it was a piccie of binkinis ffs, anyone offended by that in a position of power would be a damning indictment of the idiocy apparent within the political system. However, his reasoning behind it is even worse.

"HARMLESS"!!! He calls it "harmless"?! JT calls the very footage that fueled the bill "harmless." You heard it from the ass's mouth! But you got to remember: this is Utah. They have no beaches. They've probably neved seen a swimsuit before!

I visited a friend in Utah, and the lake didn't even look like water. I knew it was a lake and could tell it was a liquid, but with all that salt, it just doesn't look like water. Besides, the ocean tastes terrible, as I learned from falling face-down in it as a kid, and with the salt concentration in that lake, I'd probably end up burning my tongue just to get rid of the taste.

I don't sympathize.He sent that email with the sole purpose of offending the legislature into action. He wanted them to be disgusted. He wanted them to feel bad for looking at it. He wanted them to be appalled to think that kids were seeing that stuff. That was the only way he could think to get them to hold the override session.

If that is not obvious from his most recent email quoted here, then I am sorry that you cannot see it.

Don't get me wrong EZK, I completely get that, I just know how I'd feel if some pillock was apologising on my behalf for sending something so mild. Then again I probably am just too far off Jackie's train of thought.

I suppose the thing that will always make me laugh is that when he is including those images with his Emails, they are harmless and non-pornographic, and yet, when they are a part of one of those Video Games he so hates, all of a sudden they are evil, pornographic and corrupting our youth...

I agree, they might be offensive, but they sure aren't pornographic, but I simply cannot get any sympathy together for Jack because he's being so blatantly 2-faced about the whole thing, it's so so obvious now that this is about revenge, not any real belief on Thompson's part that these games are 'dangerous' in any way, even he admits that the images aren't harmful, and yet he still tries to hide behind an increasingly shredded tissue of lies.

As I noted below, John Bruce is incapable of remorse. As such, just the thought that someone would want to apologize on his behalf offends him to no end. In his mind he is right and anyone who says otherwise is an idiot and a villian.

Whic his why any court ordered apology form him would be hollow and worthless.

For isntance part of it woudl likely be "To al lthe gamers out there that I have offended, I apologize that you are all nothing but mouth breathing, basement dwelling, violent sleeper anget psychos with single digit IQs"

Basically, I don't want a forced apology out of him as we know it'd be insincere

Shout box

Infophile: @Matt: Apparently Dan Aykroyd actually is involved. We don't know how yet, though, but he's apparently going to be in the movie in some way.08/02/2015 - 4:17am

Mattsworkname: I still hold that not having the origonal cast invovled in any way hurts this movie, and unless the 4 actresses in the lead roles can some how measure up to the comic timing of the origonal cast, i just don't see it being a success08/02/2015 - 12:46am

Mattsworkname: Mecha: regardless of what you think of it, GB 2 was a finanical success and for it time did well with audiances ,even if it wasnt as popular as the first08/02/2015 - 12:45am

MechaTama31: I think they're better off trying to do something different, than trying to be exactly the same and having every little difference held up as a shortcoming. Uncanny valley.08/01/2015 - 11:57pm

MechaTama31: Having the original cast didn't do much for... that pink-slimed atrocity which we must never speak of.08/01/2015 - 11:56pm

Mattsworkname: Andrew: If the new ghostbusters bombs, I cant help but feel it'll be cause it removed the origonal cast and changed the formula to much08/01/2015 - 8:31pm

Andrew Eisen: Not the best look but that appears to be a PKE meter hanging from McCarthy's belt.08/01/2015 - 7:34pm

Mattsworkname: You know what game is a lot of fun? rocket league. It' s a soccer game thats actually fun to play cause your A Freaking CAR!08/01/2015 - 7:02pm

Mattsworkname: Nomad colossus did a little video about it, showing the world and what can be explored in it's current form. It's worth a look, and he uses text for commentary as not to break the immerison08/01/2015 - 5:49pm

Mattsworkname: I feel some more mobility would have made it more interesting and I feel that a larger more diverse landscape with better graphiscs would help, but as a concept, it interests me08/01/2015 - 5:48pm

Andrew Eisen: Huh. I guess I'll have to check out a Let's Play to get a sense of the game.08/01/2015 - 5:47pm

Mattsworkname: It did, I found the idea of exploring a world at it's end, exploring the abandoned city of a disappeared alien race and the planets various knooks and crannies intriqued me.08/01/2015 - 5:46pm

Andrew Eisen: Did it appeal to you? If so, what did you find appealing?08/01/2015 - 5:43pm

Mattsworkname: Its an interesting concept, but it's not gonna appeal to everyone thats for sure,08/01/2015 - 5:40pm

Andrew Eisen: That sounds horrifically boring. Doesn't sound like an interesting use of its time dilation premise either. 08/01/2015 - 5:36pm

Mattsworkname: an observer , seeing this sorta frozen world and being able to explore without any restriction other then time. no enimes, no threats, just the chance to explore08/01/2015 - 5:34pm